Hot Top With Dual Burners

ABSTRACT

A modular hot top cooking unit houses two burners generally located symmetrically within a firebox of the cooking unit. Dual separate controllers independently operate each burner. A cover plate defining a cooking surface covers the firebox and overlies the two burners. The dual controls allow both burners to be operated independently to achieve even heat across the cover plate, allow only one burner to be utilized to achieve gradual heat, or allow both burners to be used at different temperatures to achieve variable heat along the cover plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/053,741, filed May 16, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to cooking appliances and more specifically to modular commercial cooking units with removable cooking surfaces, sometimes referred to as “hot tops.”

BACKGROUND

The term “hot top” is often used in the art to refer to cooking appliances having a cooking surface such as a metal plate or grill over a heat source that heats the cooking surface. Traditional commercial hot tops may include a long straight tubular or rectangular burner or burners mounted symmetrically under a rectangular cast iron cooking surface. These may generally be referred to as an “even heat hot top.” Alternatively, a single round or toroidal burner may be mounted under a rectangular cast iron cooking surface generally toward the front or user side of the hot top. These types of hot tops may generally be referred to as “front fired hot tops.” The even heat hot top generally imparts evenly distributed heat to the cooking surface that may be varied by a single control, typically via a single valve. The front fired hot top provides a graduated heat pattern from front to back, with the hottest area above the center portion of the burner and with the temperature generally diminishing away from the burner center, i.e. heat is distributed in a circular pattern. There is a need for a hot top with a more variable and more finely controllable heating pattern on the cooking surface.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, a hot top cooking unit comprises a housing with a generally open top, a front, a first side, a second side, and a rear defining and enclosing a firebox. A front ledge may be disposed along the top edge of the front projecting forwardly of the front of the housing. Similarly, side ledges may be disposed along the top edges of the sides and a rear ledge may be disposed along the top edge of the rear of the housing. A first burner and a second burner are disposed in the firebox defined by the housing and a control panel, preferably on the front of the housing, includes a first controller that controls fuel flow to the first burner and a second controller that controls fuel flow to the second burner. A cover plate defining a cooking surface, which may be a cast iron grill or plate, is removably disposed over the open top of the housing and is supported by at least two of the front ledge, the side ledges, and the rear ledge. The plate is removably disposed from its position over the heat source for cleaning or service, but cooking is always performed on the plate and never directly on the burners. The first burner and the second burner generally are disposed equal distances from the side edges and are symmetrically spaced with respect to the front and rear of the firebox.

A method of operating a cooking unit includes providing a hot top cooking unit as generally described above, operating the first controller to establish the temperature setting of the first burner, and operating the second controller to establish the temperature setting of the second burner. The first temperature setting and the second temperature setting may be different.

Other aspects, features, and details of the present disclosure can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to illustrate more clearly the embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hot top and plate according to a first embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the hot top of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the hot top of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hot top of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows three hot tops according to the disclosure arrayed in series in a range.

Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of illustration and not limitation, the disclosure below describes a hot top within the context of a range. Further, references herein to “end,” “side,” “bottom,” and “top” refer to orientations or positions of elements when the hot top is oriented as if disposed in a range in an upright orientation. The terms “upper,” “lower,” “vertical,” and “horizontal,” generally refer to the location and/or orientation of an element or line with respect to a drawing figure in which it appears.

FIG. 1 illustrates a hot top cooking unit 10 that includes a housing 12 with a first side 14, a rear 16, a second side 18, and a front 20 that together enclose and define a firebox with a generally open top. A ledge 11 extends around the open top of the firebox and includes a first side ledge 13, a rear ledge 15, a second side ledge 17, and a front ledge 19. A cooking surface or cover plate 40, which may, for instance, be a cast iron grill surface, is removably supportable on the ledge 11 so that the cover plate 40 overlies the open top of the firebox. A first burner 22 and a second burner 24, each independently controlled by a respective controller 28, are disposed at the front 20, where a control panel 26 is defined. Control panel 26 may, for example, include a starter 30 and opening(s) 32 in a front plate 25. The starter 30 is provided for lighting or otherwise initiating the burners 22, 24, and can be, for example, a piezo-electric starter. The openings 32 are provided in front panel 25 to allow the burners to be ignited with a lighter or matches rather than starter 30 and to permit viewing of the pilot light, such as to gauge whether the pilot light is lit before supplying gas to the burners. The particular configuration of the control panel and its components may be different from that shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates only one example of a control panel layout.

Cover plate 40, which defines a cooking surface, is sized to be placed atop the housing 12 and to cover substantially the open top of the firebox and the burners therein. Cover 40 includes sides 42, 44, 46, and 48 and spacers or feet 45 that engage at least two of first side ledge 13, rear ledge 15, second side ledge 17, and front ledge 19. When placed atop the housing, side 42 is disposed atop front ledge 19, side 44 is disposed atop second side ledge 17, side 46 is disposed atop rear ledge 15, and side 48 is disposed atop first side ledge 13. Cover plate 40 generally has a substantial thickness to support weight from pots, pans, and food and/or liquids or foods in such pots/pans, and can be formed of any material, but preferably is formed of cast iron.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the first burner 22 and the second burner 24 are located generally in central or symmetrical positions relative to each side of the housing 12. The combination of dual burners with independent controllers allows selective burn temperature settings of either or both burners to vary the temperature distribution on the cover plate 40 to create, for example, both even heat and gradually varying heat gradient patterns. The individual burner controllers allow either or both burners to be used. In a first example, both burners can be set to approximately the same temperature setting to achieve even heat across the hot plate. In a second example, only the front burner is used to achieve high heat at the front and a gradually cooling temperature gradient from the front to the back of the cover plate. In a third example, only the rear burner is used to achieve high heat at the rear of the cover plate and a gradually cooling temperature gradient from the back to the front of the cover plate. As a fourth example, both the front burner and the rear burner can be used and, by operating each controller to regulate the flow of gas, each burner can be set to produce different amounts of heat to impart a variable temperature distribution pattern to the hot plate as desired to provide virtually unlimited combinations of temperature profiles, including profiles for warming food on the cover plate 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates control array 26, including panel 25, knobs 28, starter 30, and openings 32 of hot top 10. FIG. 3 illustrates cover plate 40, top 20, control array 26, knobs 28, and cap 36 of the hot top and also shows gas line input 38, which connects to a gas supply. Gas line input 38 preferably is a connector that allows quick connection/disconnection to an exterior gas supply line, though other configurations are possible and included within the scope of this disclosure. FIG. 4 shows side 44 of cover plate 40 disposed over side 18 of frame 12, gas input 38, punch out 34, and knobs 28.

As shown in FIG. 5, multiple hot tops according to the disclosure can be arranged in a single range to provide multiple controllable cooking surfaces. In such an arrangement, fuel such as natural gas or propane may be supplied from a single gas source into one hot top and a common gas manifold may be created by removing punch-out disc 34 in second side 18 and cap 36 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) for delivery of gas from side 18 through side 12 to an adjacent hot top. FIG. 5 shows three hot tops 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c installed in a range 50. Range 50 includes a rear wall 52, a first side 54, a front 56, which generally includes a door 60 that provides access to an oven cavity, and is supported on feet 58. Each hot top has similar elements as those detailed in FIGS. 1-4 above, such as frame 12 c and side 18 c shown at hot top 10 c, with control panel 26 disposed at front plate 25 and individually control provided by controllers 28. Each hot top 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c is covered with a cover plate 40 a, 40 b, and 40 c, respectively, which define cooking surfaces, and each cover has similar elements as detailed above, with side 44 c of cover 40 c shown in FIG. 5.

According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed herein are not necessarily shown to scale, dimensions of the various features and elements may be expanded or reduced to illustrate more clearly the embodiments of the invention. 

1. A modular cooking unit comprising: a housing having a front, a first side, a second side, a rear, and a substantially open top; a first burner and a second burner in the housing spaced apart from each other; a first controller that controls a temperature setting of the first burner and a second controller that controls a temperature setting of the second burner; and, a cover plate defining a cooking surface disposed over the open top of the housing.
 2. The modular cooking unit of claim 1 wherein the first burner and the second burner are disposed equal distances from the first side and the second side and are centered with respect to each other from the front and the rear.
 3. The modular cooking unit of claim 1 wherein the cooking unit is a first hot top.
 4. The modular cooking unit of claim 3 further including a gas supply connection.
 5. The modular cooking unit of claim 4 wherein the gas supply connection is disposed at the rear of the housing.
 6. The modular cooking unit of claim 4 further including a first common manifold extending between the first side and the second side of the first hot top.
 7. The modular cooking unit of claim 6 wherein a second hot top is placed adjacent the first hot top, wherein the second hot top has a second common manifold, and wherein the gas supply connection supplies gas to the first common manifold and wherein the first common manifold supplies gas to the second common manifold.
 8. The modular cooking unit of claim 7 wherein the gas connection feed is covered by either a punch out section or a cap.
 9. The modular cooking unit of claim 1 wherein the first controller includes at least one opening that allows viewing of either the first burner or the second burner through the front.
 10. The modular cooking unit of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a front ledge, a first side ledge, a second side ledge, and a rear ledge, and wherein the cover plate contacts at least two of the front ledge, first side ledge, second side ledge, and rear ledge.
 11. A method of operating a cooking unit, the method comprising: providing a cooking unit comprising a housing having a front, a first side, a second side, a rear, and a substantially open top; providing a first burner and a second burner in the housing spaced apart from each other, and providing a first controller that controls a temperature setting of the first burner and a second controller that controls a temperature setting of the second burner; operating the first controller to a first temperature setting; operating the second controller to a second temperature setting; wherein the first temperature setting and the second temperature setting are different.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first burner and the second burner are disposed equal distances from the first side and the second side and are centered with respect to each other from the front and the rear.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the cooking unit is a first hot top.
 14. The method of claim 13 further including a gas supply connection.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the gas supply connection is disposed at the rear of the housing.
 16. The method of claim 14 further including a first common manifold extending between the first side and the second side of the first hot top.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein a second hot top is placed adjacent the first hot top, wherein the second hot top has a second common manifold, and wherein the method further comprises: supplying gas from the gas supply connection to the first common manifold and wherein the first common manifold supplies gas to the second common manifold.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the gas connection feed is covered by either a punch out section or a cap.
 19. The method of claim 11 wherein the first controller includes at least one opening that allows viewing of either the first burner or the second burner through the front.
 20. The method of claim 11 wherein the housing includes a front ledge, a first side ledge, a second side ledge, and a rear ledge, and wherein the cover plate contacts at least two of the front ledge, first side ledge, second side ledge, and rear ledge. 